NEW HIGHWAY DEVELOPMENT TO PUT AN END TO TRAFFIC JAMS IN AND OUT OF MOMBASA
(Posted 27th August 2015)
A new proposed six lane highway project, connecting the port city of Mombasa to the outskirts of the greater Mombasa metropolitan area in Mariakani – some 40 kilometres enroute the main highway to Nairobi – has been costed at 22 billion Kenya Shillings, likely to rise however by the time of completion. This new section will cover about 12 kilometres which are among the most congestion and jam prone in the entire country. It has been a focus of reporting here several times before and is a cause for constant complaints by motorists which in the past have been stuck for more than 10 hours without moving an inch. This being the only main exit route from the coast to the national parks and game reserves inland, like the Sagalla Hills, the Taita Hills Game Reserve, Tsavo East, Tsavo West and Amboseli, do traffic jams impact severely on safari itineraries for tourists and the new road, when complete in approximately three years’ time, will bring substantial relief through shorter transit times.
The overall project will also reportedly include a link from the international airport to the new highway and a dual carriage expansion of the current highway to Mariakani as well as selected sections further along the Mombasa to Nairobi highway.
This is the second major road project at the Kenya coast announced in the recent past with a bypass from the international airport and the Nairobi to Mombasa highway to the south coast now under construction already. The road link from Mombasa to Nairobi and on to the hinterland countries of Uganda, Rwanda and Eastern Congo is a crucial traffic axis which presently forms the transport backbone for imports and exports.
The project is reportedly being financed by the African Development Bank, internally generated funding through various levies and other development partners providing loan and grant funding.
